Star horse Scandinavia, a Gold Cup winner, will not compete in the Qatar Racing Champions Day at Ascot this Saturday. Trainer Aidan O’Brien has revealed his selections for the meeting, confirming Scandinavia's omission from the Long Distance Cup.
O'Brien stated the decision was made to keep Scandinavia fresh for next year's season, with an eye on the Ascot Gold Cup. Instead, Queenstown and Amelia Earhart are set to run in the Long Distance Cup, despite Scandinavia being the ante-post favourite.
Further changes to O'Brien's lineup include Gstaad running in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile, a shift from his initial plan. Constitution River will compete in the 10-furlong Champions Stakes, a race for which O'Brien had earlier supplemented him for £70,000.